The recent announcement that
Poco would cease to be as a touring and recording entity after 40 plus years is
not a huge surprise to most people who assumed they’d broken up years ago and
at this point it was really only Rusty Young (the sole original member).
This news has put me on a
Poco listening binge. I’ve always liked
them (and I’m talking about their period as an actual band late 1960’s up until
Timothy B. Schmit left in 1977). Their
brand of country rock was more like country pop and seemed to have less effort
involved than other more legendary groups/performers like the whole Gram Parson
Flying Burrito Brothers Axis. True, it was simpler and less heavy and had less
deeper meaning but they wrote songs in a genre that didn’t really exist fully
yet with confidence. And when I say
wrote there were a number of talented singer songwriters in the band, an
embarrassment of riches.
Here is my breakdown of their
discography by preference (or at least the records I’ve ever heard). I am very honest so there is some criticism here
but at their best they were an excellent band in every way.
PICKIN’ UP THE PIECES
Their debut is still my
favorite record by them. Fresh and catchy, this
is just as close to power pop as country with a pedal steel guitar replacing a Rickenbacker. Richie Furay and Jim Messina were calling the
shots as this was what they had envisioned after Buffalo Springfield
ended. Furay in particular is at the top
of his game here. His vocals are
beautiful as are all the harmonies. My
favourite tracks – Pickin’ Up The Pieces, Make Me A Smile, Short Changed, Nobody’s
Fool, really all of the songs.
HEAD OVER HEELS
2nd’ fave, their 8th
studio album, and best of the foursome years – Rusty Young, Paul Cotton,
Timothy B Schmit, George Grantham. I’m
not sure they meant this as three out of the four members sing and write here separately
but this has always felt like a concept album to me with the subject the
beginning, middle period, and end of a relationship. The order of the songs back this up with
their individual meanings and the relationship might also be with a place or a
feeling itself not necessarily another person. Every song is sharply delivered
and the whole thing melts together seamlessly.
The highlights are all three of Schmit’s songs (although he wrote and
sang less than Young or Cotton he was the best songwriter and singer in the
band at this point). Also noteworthy are
their spirited cover of Steely Dan’s Dallas (which fits in with the theme) and
Young’s Loving Arms.
A GOOD FEELIN’ TO KNOW
All three Furay compositions
on this record are excellent (especially the title track which is one of his best
tunes – relentlessly catchy) as are both Schmit songs (I Can See Everything
would be a competitor for best Poco song of all time) and a slowed down more
rocking version of the Stephen Stills Buffalo Springfield number Go and Say
Goodbye. The three Paul Cotton tunes
don’t get in the way too much.
CANTAMOS
This is the problem. Jim Messina left Poco after their second
album (see further down) and was replaced by Paul Cotton. Now Cotton is a versatile guitarist who can
really solo. He also had a slightly deeper voice that the other members of the
band and worked well in the harmonies besides singing his own songs. The problem is he is a dull songwriter with
really unoriginal lyrics (often about cowboys and the South) which is funny
considering he is from Illinois. With
two other songwriters, he is kept to three or four tracks a record which is
okay and this record has a couple of his best tunes including Western
Waterloo. It also contains a front
runner for my favorite Rusty Young Tune Sagebrush Serenade (amazingly complex and
haunting) and another classic Schmit ballad Whatever Happened To Your
Smile?
ROSE OF CIMARRON, INDIAN
SUMMER
A bit too much Paul Cotton
drags down the proceedings but both these records feature some classic tunes. THE ROSE OF CIMARRON’s title track (written
by Young) and INDIAN SUMMER’s Downfall (also by Young) as well as its title
track (by Cotton and featuring some of his best guitar work) plus all the
Schmit compositions on both records are classic. Jury’s still out on the nearly nine minute
suite of songs by Young that end INDIAN SUMMER. Something to do with a dance but with very
pretty string arrangements at least.
CRAZY EYES
CRAZY EYES may be Poco’s
strangest record. It’s their fifth studio
record and last with Furay who seems obsessed with Gram Parsons here penning a
9 minute + long moody orchestral masterpiece about him (the title track) and
also a completely unnecessary cover of Brass Buttons. There is also a boring equally unnecessary
cover of JJ Cale’s Magnolia. To balance
it out, there is an excellent Schmit song and couple good Young tunes. The two Cotton songs are not bad this time
around either. And just to restate the
title track despite its length is excellent.
FROM THE INSIDE
I’m not sure the source of
the problem with this record. Six out of
the ten songs are by Furay and are simple catchy pop tunes. The title track is one of the first solo compositions
by Schmit and is excellent and the three Cotton songs are not bad either
(especially Bad Weather). However, what
really damages the sound of this record is instead of Poco’s usual
semi-electric country rock pop, we get something akin to Crosby, Stills, and
Nash, acoustic guitars everywhere and muted percussion downplaying the normally
excellent George Grantham’s drumming.
The result is lifeless and forgettable. Perhaps producer Steve Cropper is the problem(as
I’ve read a few times) – I don’t know. A
shame as the songwriting is good here.
SEVEN
The first album Poco made as
a foursome after Furay left is also their worst as a foursome. I can only assume that the commercially successful
sound of the dreaded Eagles forced everybody to lose their heads momentarily. Every song (even the three Schmit songs) is
swamped with whiny slide guitar. It
seems like everyone is yelling when they sing too. I hardly listen to this record.
POCO
Their second album starts off
well. The first six songs are all
good. Furay is looser and more electric than
the first record. There is a nice cover
of Dallas Frazier’s country standard Honky Tonk Downstairs. I’ve never been much of a Jim Messina fan but
You’d Better Think Twice is one of his best tunes of all time. However, all that is forgotten after the 18
minute loose jam that ends the record.
It is pointless, boring, and sounds made up on the spot. Poco is not exactly prog rock. I can only assume they rushed into the studio
too quickly after their first album and didn’t have enough songs to complete
the record.
DELIVERIN’
Not a big fan of live albums
of which Poco has made several. This is
the only one I’ve heard. Nice version of
Kind Woman, the Furay Buffalo Springfield song that got the whole Poco country
thing rolling. There are a few songs
here not on any studio recording.
Messina has some nice lead guitar work.
A few further Poco works....
THE YOUNG/COTTON YEARS
After Schmit left, Young and
Cotton made a number of records as a duo with various other faceless musicians. Of these, I have only heard LEGEND and UNDER
THE GUN. Both were fairly awful as Poco
had now turned into Air Supply. LEGEND
at least has the band’s sole hit Young’s Crazy Love which is instantly memorable
but both records are synthetic devoid of inspiration filled with clichéd lyrics
and mundane arrangements. I have not
heard any other music the duo made but imagine they are the same.
LEGACY
In 1990, the original five members
of Poco (Furay, Messina, Young, Grantham, Randy Meisner) reunited or were
reunited by the record label for a record.
Don’t be fooled this is product with the Poco name on it not an actual
Poco record. A number of other studio musicians
are listed on various instruments and a lot of the songs are collaborations with
outside songwriters or completely written by outside songwriters. The good parts – Both Furay co written and
sung songs are good as are the three Young tunes. The bad parts – Three songs by Messina is
three songs too many and Meisner who only played bass on the first album then
left the band sings three songs (one by Richard Marx! L ). Rather odd that Meisner gets to sing three
songs whereas the founder of the band Furay only gets two. Meisner’s voice has aged well though and has
power.
ALL FIRED UP
Last year, Young working with
his touring band made what is most certainly the last Poco album and it’s
pretty good. Young as a songwriter has
loosened up a bit and become very creative.
He is capable of both a beautiful ballad like Regret and a half-comic
rocker like Neil Young. If in fact this
is the end for Poco, it’s not a bad way to go out.
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